There Has Been a Resurgence of Puppetry in Contemporary Theatre, Film, and Television. Consider and Discuss the Effect Puppetry Has on Contemporary Audiences and Whether This Form of Performance Is More Commanding Than the Art of Acting.
"There is something in the puppet that ties its dramatic life more to the shapes of dreams and fantasy, the poetry of the unconscious, than to any realistic drama of human life." [1]
The word, 'puppet,' is derived from the Latin pupa, meaning little girl or doll. The metaphoric extension of the word first recorded in the 1540's is: 'person whose actions are manipulated by another.’ [2] Puppetry is the art of taking an inanimate object or representational figure, manipulating it and giving it life. In this essay, I wish to discuss the theatrical fascination surrounding puppets with, in particular, contemporary audiences. I will focus on the emotional factor they bring to performances and, in some cases, why they may be preferred tools of performance. I will do this by discussing various forms of puppetry and comparing films to production adaptations.
Puppets are a vessel of emotion. "Thinking It And Fainting," is a puppetry production about the inescapability of domestic life. The production starts with Isobel Stone, the puppeteer, repeating several household chores. In the midst of her impositions, she begins to daydream about household items coming to life. At this point, I think it is important to mention that Isobel has a background of fine-art, and her aesthetic was turning everyday objects into sculptures, giving them personality and life. Her production outlines boredom and monotony, which causes her mind to wander giving birth to these household puppets. At one stage, an animal skull appears out of her washing like some sort of obnoxious laundry monster staring down at her. Almost instantly, the audience’s attention jumped from the puppeteer to this character she had created. I think women, especially, were able to associate well with these feelings of anguish when having mind numbing tasks put upon them. The puppet created this bridge of emotion for the audience as this heavy feeling of frustration can often feel like a malevolent creature coming at
The word, 'puppet,' is derived from the Latin pupa, meaning little girl or doll. The metaphoric extension of the word first recorded in the 1540's is: 'person whose actions are manipulated by another.’ [2] Puppetry is the art of taking an inanimate object or representational figure, manipulating it and giving it life. In this essay, I wish to discuss the theatrical fascination surrounding puppets with, in particular, contemporary audiences. I will focus on the emotional factor they bring to performances and, in some cases, why they may be preferred tools of performance. I will do this by discussing various forms of puppetry and comparing films to production adaptations.
Puppets are a vessel of emotion. "Thinking It And Fainting," is a puppetry production about the inescapability of domestic life. The production starts with Isobel Stone, the puppeteer, repeating several household chores. In the midst of her impositions, she begins to daydream about household items coming to life. At this point, I think it is important to mention that Isobel has a background of fine-art, and her aesthetic was turning everyday objects into sculptures, giving them personality and life. Her production outlines boredom and monotony, which causes her mind to wander giving birth to these household puppets. At one stage, an animal skull appears out of her washing like some sort of obnoxious laundry monster staring down at her. Almost instantly, the audience’s attention jumped from the puppeteer to this character she had created. I think women, especially, were able to associate well with these feelings of anguish when having mind numbing tasks put upon them. The puppet created this bridge of emotion for the audience as this heavy feeling of frustration can often feel like a malevolent creature coming at